


Fathers

by IJM



Category: General Hospital
Genre: Discussion of childhood sexual abuse, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-26
Updated: 2018-07-26
Packaged: 2019-06-16 07:43:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15432276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IJM/pseuds/IJM
Summary: After reading “Mothers,” Scotty was all like WTF? Where’s my story about fatherhood?





	Fathers

**Author's Note:**

> Not for profit. No claim of ownership of characters.

Elizabeth was busy making breakfast for the family, homemade pancakes. She and Franco usually came downstairs at the same time, but he was running late. She suspected he had had a bad night, but had not pressed him about it. She had heard him get up in the night and retreat into the bathroom and she was sure she heard him crying. But she thought he needed to be alone since he chose to isolate himself. He knew he could express his emotions with her, if it was what he needed. She also knew from her own experience that sometimes a person just needed some privacy.

She heard him coming down the stairs. The boys were responsible for getting up on their own when their alarms went off. 

He sat down at the table, propping his elbow on top and leaning his head against his palm. He was pale and had puffy dark circles under his eyes. “Hey,” he sort of mumbled.

Normally, he would have hugged and kissed her and then got to work setting the table and pouring milk or juice for the kids. Then he would’ve gotten a cup of coffee for himself. He didn’t even bother with the coffee. He was definitely not himself.

After she finished stacking all the pancakes, Elizabeth poured a cup of coffee and put it on the table in front of him. “Looks like you need some caffeine.”

She had to use restraint. She wanted to throw her arms around him and tell him everything was going to be all right and beg him to tell her what was wrong, but she didn’t want to trigger whatever he was preoccupied with when the boys were bounding down the stairs, fighting over who was going to take a shower first to get ready for school. “Boys, take it down a notch,” she told them. “Help set the table.” 

They seemed a little surprised by the change in routine. “Are you sick?” Jake asked Franco. “You look like you feel bad.” 

Franco nodded, still with his elbow propped on the table to use his hand as a head rest. His eyes were closed and he hadn’t touched the coffee. “I’m kind of sick to my stomach,” he answered. “A little nauseated.”

Elizabeth put her hand on his forehead and even though he didn’t feel feverish, she said, “There’s  the problem with working in a hospital. You’re always around sick people.”

He met her with his gaze and offered a silent thank you. “I think I should probably go back to bed,” he told everyone. “I don’t want any of you to feel like this.”

“You don’t even want to pancake?” Aiden asked, shocked. 

“You should eat an extra one for me,” he told Aiden. “You guys have a good day at school.”

“Hey, I’ll call into work for us. You know they don’t want staff with flu symptoms coming in.”

He nodded.

“Are you sick too, Mom?” Cameron asked.

“Nope,” Elizabeth told him. “I actually feel fine, but I’m afraid I may have to take Franco to the doctor this afternoon if he’s not feeling better in a little while.” They didn’t have to know the doctor she meant was Kevin Collins.

She got the boys taken care of and onto the bus after a while. Mornings could be chaotic sometimes. She didn’t realize how much she had come to rely on Franco playing a role in the day to day grind. She smiled, thinking of how he was being such a loving father figure to her children.

Franco was usually able to mask his negative feelings in front of the kids. Maybe part of that was the joy the children naturally brought to him, but sometimes she knew effort was involved too. His inability to make an effort at breakfast had her worried. She even noticed how he chose his words. He didn’t say he didn’t want the boys to “get sick.” He didn’t want them to “feel this way.” He was a master of evasion, even when telling the truth. 

She opened the door to their bedroom. He appeared to be asleep, but she wasn’t sure if he was or not. She crawled into the bed and wrapped her arms around him. He bristled at her touch. She was taken aback. He never retreated from her. If anything, he couldn’t get enough of being close to her. “What’s wrong?” she asked giving him some space, but very little.

He shook his head.

“You can’t talk about it?”

He remained quiet.

“Even with me?”

He wouldn’t open his eyes.

“I’m calling Kevin. I know he’ll work you in,” she said.

“Vacation,” he said without expression.

Elizabeth had forgotten that Kevin  had gone to Europe to visit Laura and Spencer. She knew she could call him in an emergency and he would refer them to someone else, but she also knew it would be futile to bother him because Franco would not talk to any other therapist. “How can I help?” she asked, putting her hand on his shoulder.

He rolled his shoulder to get away from her. “Go away,” he said. He never opened his eyes, but she could see tears on his cheeks.

“You know I’m not leaving you like this,” Elizabeth told him firmly. He was so out of character. He didn’t tell her to go away, ever. “Please open your eyes for me.” She hoped if she could just see into his soul a bit she might figure out what was going on.

He opened his eyes and looked at her. His expression was hollow and his eyes were glistening.

“You are hurting to the point of being incapacitated,” she told him. “I need to know how to help you.”

His expression changed. She could tell that he wanted help, but he couldn’t asked for it. She thought he might accept her touch, so she placed her hand over his heart. “What are you remembering?”

His body jerked and he turned onto his side, pulling the covers up to his neck.

At this point, Elizabeth became frightened. Franco wasn’t merely  despondent. He appeared to be in a major depressive state. She weighed her options. With Kevin out of the country, the only other person who had seen Franco anywhere near the state of being was Drew. But Franco consistently seemed to fear that Drew would reject him.

Scotty knew what had happened, though she knew Franco feared Scotty would reject him eventually too. But she knew that he would not. “I’ll be right back,” she said. She closed the bedroom door and stepped in to Cameron’s room to call Scotty.

“I charge double before 10:00 AM,” Scotty answered without so much as a hello.

Elizabeth knew he was joking with her, but she got straight to the point. “Can you come over – like now?”

“What’s wrong?” Scotty asked, turning serious.

“Franco is depressed and he refuses to talk to me or even let me touch him.”

“Well, something’s wrong,” Scotty said.

Elizabeth wasn’t quite sure how to take that. She had just told him something was wrong. “Yeah,” she said. “Can you help me?”

“I don’t know if I can or not, but I’m on my way.”

The call ended and she went back to look in on her husband. He was practically hiding in the bed. She didn’t bother him. It wouldn’t take long for Scotty to arrive, so she would wait for him downstairs to explain everything she could about the strange morning. She busied herself making another pot of coffee and throwing together and Elizabeth Special casserole to bake. Basically, she evaluated what she had and combined a dish full of “This will probably go with that.” They were never the same twice.

Scotty arrived  and came inside without knocking. This didn’t bother her at all. He was one of those people who didn’t have to stand on formality. “Where is he?” Scotty asked.

“In the bedroom.”

He started in that direction. “Wait,” she said. “You need to know what’s going on before you charge in like a herd of buffaloes.” She told him everything she could, what she knew for a fact and what she guessed.

“That sounds bleak,” Scotty commented. “Do you want to come with me?” he asked hesitantly.

“No,” she answered. “Well, yes, I do. But I don’t think Franco will respond to me.”

Scotty furrowed his brow. That didn’t sound like his son at all. “I’ll figure it out,” he promised, knowing it might be an empty one.

Scotty knocked on the bedroom door as he opened it. “Son,” he called. He wasn’t quite sure how to be Franco’s dad yet. Did he need comfort, or was he a tough love kind of kid? Man, actually.

Franco rolled over onto his back so he could face his father. He couldn’t even get his mouth to form a greeting. 

“Well, you look like hell,“ Scotty observed. “I’m guessing that’s about how you feel too.“ He slipped off his shoes and got onto the bed on Elizabeth’s side. He propped her pillows behind his back. He noted that, at least, Franco didn’t have a negative response to him joining him on the bed. “Sit up,” he said. “We’ve got to talk.”

Franco adjusted his pillows and sat up too. 

“Why are you moping?”

“Moping?” Franco repeated. 

“He speaks,” Scotty observed. “Yeah you’re mopey. You’re over 40 years old. It’s not a good look.”

“I had a bad night,” Franco responded.

“You’ve had a lot of bad nights. Why is this one debilitating you?”

“I had an abreaction.”

“Wait a second,” Scotty said. He pulled out his phone and googled the word abreaction. “Wait,” he said quickly skimming through some sources.

Franco took a deep breath, as Kevin often told him to do.

“Okay, so this abreaction is like a bad dream?”

No,” Franco said. “It’s more like… remembering and feeling something that happened a long time ago now. The mental and physical memories. It’s happened before under hypnosis, but it can happen anytime.”

“Damn,” Scotty said, thinking about what he had just been told. “So whatever you remembered, as far as you’re concerned  – “

“It happened last night,” Franco filled in.

“So, everything you went through –“ Scotty started.

“No,” Franco told him. “One incident in vivid, horrible detail.”

“I am… sorry.” Scotty wasn’t sure what to say. He thought about it. “Maybe you should tell me about it,” he suggested.

“You don’t want to know,” Franco responded.

“No,” Scotty argued. “Betsy didn’t want to know. You couldn’t talk to her. You can talk to me. I’m your father. I couldn’t stop it, but I can at least try to get you through it.”

“I— “ Franco was stunned. Kevin would listen to anything he had to say. But Kevin had years of clinical experience desensitizing him toward the horrors people inflict on others. “It’s not pretty.”

“You were a young child who was sexually assaulted by a perverted adult. I know it’s not going to be pretty.”

Franco closed his eyes. “I feel him. I still feel him. Right now. On me. I can’t get the... yuck off of me.”

“Then tell me about the yuck.” Scotty noticed he used a child-like word to describe what he felt. “Tell me as an adult what you could not put into words when you were young.”

“His body. He’s big and heavy and really strong.” Franco kept his eyes closed, but Scotty was watching him intently. “He, he was –“ Franco grimaced, trying to push it away again.

“Take your time,” Scotty told him. “He can’t hurt you anymore.”

“He was naked and he pulled my clothes off, and I didn’t even fight.”

“I’m going to go out on a limb here and say you had been through so much you were conditioned not to fight.”

Franco nodded. “Yeah, it would be worse if I fought.”

Scotty didn’t let himself show emotion, but he was seething. That no good bastard had broken his child. “Do you want to talk about what he did to you? What you went through again last night?”

Franco nodded, to Scotty’s surprise. 

“He was all hands, all over me. But grinding against me too. And he licked and bit my chest and neck and put his tongue in my mouth. Then he put his finger in my mouth and told me to suck on it. Then two fingers, then three fingers and it was really hard to breathe. He took out his fingers and...”  there was a long pause. “He kind of sat on my chest, so I couldn’t move. I could hardly breathe. And he slapped me and told me to not even think about biting him. And he slapped me again and again and I hadn’t even done anything wrong. I didn’t fight back. He shoved it in my mouth as far as he could and I was choking. I couldn’t breathe. He was mad, so he grabbed my hair and made my head move the way he wanted.  He went in and out a little bit until you know… And I was coughing and spitting and I was sick. I wanted to throw up. I thought he was going to kill me. He laughed at me. Told me I was getting better at it.”

Scotty clinched his fists, listening to what his child had endured, apparently over and over. “Did he stop then?”

Franco knew Scotty wanted the answer to be yes.

“What else do he do?” Scotty asked realizing silence meant “no.”

“He told me this was the only thing I was good for. He said I was useless and stupid and a liar and no one would ever believe me. I was crying, so he slapped me again. He kept hitting me.”

“Betsy just ignored that you were bruised?” Scotty asked.

“He deserved it,” Franco said flatly. “That’s all he had to say and she wouldn’t ask anymore questions. As far as Betsy was concerned, he was my father. He told me you didn’t love me and you got rid of me because you knew I was worthless when I was born.”

”What?” Scotty was horrified by this revelation. “I didn’t even know you existed.”

“I know that now.”

”But not then,” Scotty added. He didn’t realize he could hate anyone more than he already hated Jim Harvey. “Did he?” Scotty asked, in a leading tone.

Franco nodded. “He kept duct tape in my nightstand and he would tape my mouth shut so I couldn’t scream or make any noise.”

Scotty also felt sick to his stomach. That man had his tricks of the trade and used this child so often.

“It hurts,” Franco admitted. “I felt what he did to me. And I let him just do it. What does that make me? A coward, a whore? I can’t tell Elizabeth. I don’t want to disgust her by making her think about what I did.”

“He did things to you,” Scotty was emphatic. “You did what you had to do to survive. This may sound like a repetitive question, but was he more violent when you did try to fight back?”

Franco nodded.

“He was an evil, sadistic person. How could any little kid defend himself from that kind of person?”

“I couldn’t wash him off. He’s all over me. I don’t want Elizabeth or the boys to feel this.”

“Can I hold you?“ Scotty asked, surprising himself. He was pleased that Franco looked hopeful even though he also looked fearful. He opened his arms and his son leaned against him resting his head near his shoulder. Scotty wrapped his arm around Franco’s back. Franco had broad shoulders, but at the moment, he was just a little boy who needed his daddy.

Scotty patted his shoulder and Franco seemed to let go of some tension. “It’s a shame you’re too big and I’m too old for you to just sit in my lap,” he chuckled.

Franco put his arms around Scotty’s neck. He locked his hands to hold onto him and rested his forehead against Scotty’s neck.

Scotty rubbed his back. “Let it out. Let it go. Cry, scream, hit me if you need to hit something.”

Franco inhaled deeply again. He could smell his father’s cologne. It was distinct and expensive, just like the tailored suit he was now crying all over.

“It’s all right to cry, Son,” Scotty told him, continuing to gently rub his back to remind him he was safe. “You got the memory out. Get the emotions out.”

Elizabeth must have heard her husband sobbing. She quietly opened the door to see if Scotty needed help. Her eyes were wide when she saw him holding onto his son so lovingly.

Scotty waved his hand toward her in a “Be gone” message. “I got this,” he said without words. He saw her nod and she quickly closed the door again.

“You’re my boy and I love you,” Scotty told him. He wasn’t sure how long Franco cried. It must’ve been until his body ran out of tears. 

He eventually began to feel more settled. “Thank you.” His voice was soft and he pulled away from Scotty. “I’m sorry I fell apart like that.”

“I’m not,” Scotty told him as he moved to sit up straighter against the pillows again.

Franco looked puzzled.

“Something like this was bound to happen eventually,” Scotty reasoned. “As horrible as it was for you, it kind of opened my eyes to the reality of your pain. It’s not that I didn’t know you were hurting. But I didn’t know how much, how deeply those scars run.” 

“Sometimes, I wish he had killed me,” Franco admitted. “Everyone would be better off.”

“Do you really think that?”

“Sometimes.”

“If that thought ever crosses your mind again, call me so I can tell you you’re being stupid. I’ve known Elizabeth a long time. She’s never been happier.” 

“I want to be a good father figure for the boys. That’s why I can’t let them see me like this.”

“Human?” Scotty asked. “Subject to pain and heartache? As you have probably figured out, fathers are not really super heroes.“

“They are too young to understand and they don’t need the burden. I’m supposed to take care of them. I want to protect them from all the ugly things in the world.” 

“Aiden probably is too young. But I think you’re selling Cam and Jake short. What would you do if you found out someone hurt one of your boys?”

“Kill them,” Franco answered without pause.

“That’s normal,” Scotty told him. “That’s not you with a tumor. That’s how every good father feels about his kids. If Jim Harvey was in front of me, I would rip him limb from limb.”

Franco nodded. “And industrial wood chipper would do nicely.”

“Okay, now you’re straying into not normal,” Scotty laughed.

“I saw it on TV,” he admitted. “Not a Franco original idea.”

“I’m kind of relieved to know that.”

“I need to apologize to Elizabeth,” he said.

“I think she understands.”

“I still need to apologize. I might have hurt her feelings.”

“I think marriage and domestic bliss suits you well,” Scotty told his son. “I’m sure Elizabeth would agree with me, that you are a very good husband and stepfather.”

”Do you think I would be a good father, you know, biologically?”

”Of course you would. The way you love Elizabeth’ boys and Kiki and they’re not even your actual children. I think if you had a child of your own you would go overboard on, well, everything that comes with being a father. You tend to do that, you know—operate in extremes.” 

“I guess we’ll find out soon enough,” Franco smiled. “Grandpa.” 

Scotty stood up. “Are you serious?”

Franco nodded. “That’s one reason I have to get abuse shit out of my head. I need to be ready mentally.” 

“You know we all carry around our pasts. You’re working diligently to make sure your past doesn’t destroy your future. Just keep working. And stop expecting yourself to be perfect. None of us are. The real difference is in the effort you make. Son, you’ve made more of an effort than I have ever seen anyone else attempt. You’re going to be okay.”

Franco smiled, deciding it was time to go downstairs and apologize to his wife for being the way he was—operating in extremes. 

Scotty had put his shoes back on and followed Franco down the stairs. “Grandpa. I like the sound of that.”

-END-

 

 

 


End file.
